Reviews of monographs published in academic journals are typically written by scholars who are experts in the field. A well written review puts a monograph in its scholarly context. Influential monographs are widely reviewed shortly after they are published and years later in the context of related new publications. Expect a short delay until the first review of a new monograph becomes available. Gauge the reception and impact of a work by the the number of reviews and the reputation of the journals that published the reviews.

Book Review Digest Plus (EBSCO)
Indexes reviews of fiction and nonfiction English-language books. Reviews are selected from academic journals and library review journals. Includes selected full text. Coverage goes back to the early 1980s.

JSTOR
JSTOR is not comprehensive and lacks some important history journals. It is convenient and easy to use, however, and has a "Review" limit.

Book Review Digest Retrospective, 1903-1982 (EBSCO)
Reviews of older seminal works can be hard to find. The retrospective edition of Book Review Digest indexes reviews for books published between 1905 and 1982.

Book Review Index Plus (Gale)
Indexes reviews of fiction and nonfiction English-language books. Reviews are selected from academic journals, magazines, and library review journals. Includes selected full text. Coverage goes back to the early 1960s.

America: History and Life (EBSCO)
Reviews of American and Canadian history monographs published in history journals.

Historical Abstracts (EBSCO)
Reviews of history monographs published in history journals, excluding United States and Canadian history as well as medieval and ancient history.

H-Net Reviews
H-Net Reviews are part of the H-Net online academic discussion network.